Demountable rim



April 28, 1925. I 1,535,398

c. B. CARVER DEMOUNTABLE RIM Filed July 28, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Z/zwnZFr zarsficaraer April 28, 1925. 1,535,398

C. B. CARVER nzmouuuanz RIM Filed July 28, 92 2 sheets-sheet? V fizz/627151 CQar/as Ckraer,

Patented Apr. 23, 1925.

UNITED STATES;

CHARLES Bi CARVER, OF ELK RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

DEMOUN'IABLE nriui.

Application filed July 2 8, 132 3.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES B. CARVER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Elk Rapids, in the county of Antrim and State of lilichigamdiave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Demountable Rims, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rims for use in relnovably mounting pneumatic tires upon wheels, and particularly to rims of that class in which the rim is temporarily reduced in dimensions in order to adapt it to be introduced into or removed from the tire.

The object of the invention is to provide a demountable rim which can be more readily and positively contracted in dimensions for the purpose stated; one which, during expansion and contraction, will not creep upon the tire and deflect the inflating stem from its normal radial. position; and one which will be very strong and reliable when restored to service condition withinthe tire.

The invention proceeds upon the principle of making the rim of two segments, namely, a removable segment of minor circumferential proportions corresponding in length approximately to the circumferential dimension of contraction of the rim required in adapting the rim to pass into and out of the tire, and a major segment of continuous unbroken structure which constitutes the ren'iainder of the rim; means being provided for drawing together the spaced ends of the major segment when they are released by the displacement of the minor segment, which means involves the'principle of pressing firmly upon the major segment adjacent to the inflating stem so as to resisttendency of the rim to creep and deflect the stem, and at the same time lifting up the opposite end of the major segment-in drawing it to con tracting position so as to furthersafeguard against creeping of the rim. In order to insure integrity of the rim in use, the removable minor segment interlockswith the ends of the major segment in both inward and outward radial directions, and also in the direction of the axis of the wheel; and in order to facilitate introduction of the removable minor segment, its assembly with one end of the major segment is'through means which develop interengagement between them in advance of attaining its circumferential alignment in the rim, so that Serial No. 654,311.

its opposite end, by engagen'ient with a suitable interposed tool, may act with a wedging effect when it is forcibly pressed into position.

A contracting tool especially constructed to enter into relation with the ends of the major segment and to develop a fulcrui'ning step on the one and a lifting connection with the other, is provided, and this tool upon entering into its intended relation with the said major segment completes 'an operative combination which enables said segment to be contracted without causing the rim to creep upon the tire, as already explained.

In the accompanying drawings, in which the preferred embodiment of the several features of the present invention is shown by way of illustrationv Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pneumatic tire for vehicles, containing the improved rim, minus the displaceable segment and in dotted lines.

Figure 4 is a section in a plane perpendicular to'the axis, showing parts of Figure 1 on an enlarged scale; and

Figure 5 is a plan view of parts shown in Figure 4.

'1 representsa pneuma-tic'tire, and 2 represents a rim adapted for use in accordance with established practice of mounting a tire upon a vehicle wheel, and which, in

order that it may be assembled with or removed from the tire, is adapted to be collapsed in a manner to reduce its circumferential dimension to an annulus which will permit a tire confining flange of the rim to pass within the annulus of the tire.

The rim 2 is composed of two members, namely, a short or minor segment constituting a portion of the circumference of the rim which corresponds aproximately tothe circumferential reduction developed in contracting the rim, and a major segment 4 constituting the remainder of the rim. Minor segment 3, while constructed and articulated with the major segment 4 in a manner to adapt it to complete the continuity of the rim when in its expanded condition, and to afford a rigid and substantial bridge between the ends of the major segment, capable of resisting all the stresses to be encountered. by the wheel in use, nevertheless is readily detachable and wholly removable from its position in the annulus of the rim. It is made to constitute only so much of the circumference as will leave the ends of the major segment sufliciently spaced to provide for contraction of the major segment without interfering of its ends, or undue inward radial flexure thereof.

The major segment 4 has its ends 5 and 6 provided with a fulcrum leverv bearing 7 and a pick-up connection 8, said bearing and connection being essentially recesses or openings formed in the web of the rim segment near its said ends, and of such a nature that the hearing will receive and positively position a fulcrum step 9 which is pivotally connected at .10 with a hand lever 11; while the pick-up connection will interengage with a specially formed hook 12 on the link 13 that is pivoted to the lever 11 at a suitable point, such as 14, sufliciently remote from the fulcruming pivot 10 to impart the necessary contracting movement to the end 6 of the segment, when the lever 11 is thrown from the full line position to the dotted line position shown in Figure 1. By this arrangement, the forces applied in contracting the major segment 4 develop a substantial pressure of the fulcruming end 5 of the segment against the tire 1, together with a lifting of the end 6 and a freeing of the greater portion of the circumference of the rim from the tire so that there is notend ency of the end 5 to shift upon the tire, either when. the segment is contracted for removal from the tire, or when it is permitted to expand, under its own resiliency, within the tire by the gradual letting back of the lever from its dotted line to its full line position of Figure 1. Thus, the aperture 15 of the inflating stem 16 of the tire, being adjacent to said end 5, and. thus held against creeping, never distorts the stem from its radial position, and difficulty in adapting the spare tire to the wheel of the vehicle, so often resulting from this cause, need never be encountered with this invention. I

The ends of the minor segment 3 and the major segment 1 are articulated in their assembly through means which adapt the segment to be wedged into position at one end while the other end is secured in abutment against its corresponding end of the major segment, and such articulation also involves the conditions of interlocking the ends of the segments against circumferential separation or lateral displacement. To these ends, segment 3 is provided with a splice plate 17 or otherwise constructed (as an integral element if desired) with lapping ends 18 and 19 carrying lugs 20 and 21 which are received, respectively, by the step bearing 7 and the pick-up bearing 8 in the ends of the major segment; moreover, the meeting ends of the segments are so fashioned that the minor segment abuts circumferentially against the end 6 of the major segment in a line 22 substantially coincident with the lug 21 on the splice bar 17, and the flanges of the minor segment project beyond said abutment as shown at 23, to secure the lateral interlock of the ends. The meeting ends of the flanges 2 e formed at an angle to the radius in order to develop a bevel which interlocks the segments against radial, displacement. The end of the minor segment which meets end 5 of the major segment abuts thcrcagaiust through faces generated by an arc struck from the abutting line 22 of the opposite end as a center. A. turn button 24, such as is commonly used for holding the splicing end of the one-part rim, is employed in the present invention for the dual purpose of holding the lug 20 on the lapping end 18 in the recess 7, and also for holding the fulcruming step 9 of the contracting lever 11 in said recess. The head of the pintle 26 of this turn butt-on also affords a projection which can enter an opening in the rim of the wheel to prevent the rim from crecping on the wheel.

With the construction described, in order to remove the rim from the tire, when the parts are in the full line position of Figure 3, it is merely necessary to swing the seem-- ing button 2 1 to one side, andv then sharply strike the web of major segment near its end 5 when the adjacent; end of the minor segment 3 will spring out of position under the circumferential pressure of the major segment and said minor segu'ient can be wholly removed. The tool is then applied by introducing the fulcrum step 9 into the recess 7 and securing it there by means of the turn button 24;, and introducing the hook 12 into the recess 9, aft-er which the hand lever 11 is swung from the full line position to the dotted position of Figure 1, with the result of lifting the end 41. from the tire and drawing it toward the end 5 a distance sufficient to reduce the dimensions of the major segment and adapt it to pass into or out of the tire. Lever 11 may be secured in the position in which it holds the major segment contracted by means of a projection 25 secured upon the side of the lever and fashioned to interengage with the flange on the rim beyond which it is moved. lVith the rim thus secured in contracted position and the tool effectively locked thereto, the rim an-dtool can be handled as a unit in assembling the rim with or removing it from the tire.

To return the rim to the tire, the parts are reassembled in the dotted line position of Figure 1, the hand lever 11 is displaced sufliciently to release its projection 25 from the flange of the rim, and the lever is then eased back from the dotted line position to the fullline position of Figure 1, to which it is moved by the resilient action of the contracted segment. The tool is then released from the button 7 and removed from the rim, after which the minor segment is put into place. This may be accomplished in the manner suggested in dotted lines in Figure 3, according to which the minor segment is brought into abutment with the end 6 of the major segment on the line of abutment 22, and positioned thereon by the lug 21; the handle end of lever 11, or other equivalent bar of metal, is then introduced against the pintle 26 of the button 24:, and the lug 20 011 the lapping end 18 of the minor segment brought int-o bearing against the bar, whereupon, by pressure of the foot upon the minor segment, its raised end may be wedged downward into its ultimate position, with the lug 20 in the recess 7, and may be there secured by returning the button 24 to securing position. This action is facilitated by forming the meeting edges of the end 5 of the major segment and of the corresponding end of the minor segment on arcs struck from points in the bearing line 22 as centers.

I claim:

1. In a demountable rim, a flanged major segment, and a flanged minor segment; said segments having their ends including their flanges, constructed to articulate and interlock them against relative displacement; the articulation at two of the meeting ends being constructed to develop an abutment upon which the minor segment can swing into position in the circumference of the rim; said abutment comprising in part a lug on one segment and a corresponding recess on the other segment, in part meeting faces on the two segments in lin with the abutting face of the lug, and in part flange abutments in lines removed from said abutment and faces and inclined to a radial plane of the wheel.

2. In a demountable rim, a major segment constituting the entire rim minus a portion thereof approximately corresponding to th circumferential dimension of required contraction and a minor segment constituting the remainder of the rim; said segments having their ends constructed to articulate and interlock them against relative displacement; the articulation at two of the meeting ends being constructed to develop an abutment upon which the minor segment can swing into position in th circumference of the wheel, the articulation between the other two ends being constructed on line substantially corresponding to an arc struck about such abutment; said abutment comprising in part a lug on one seg ment and a corresponding recess on the other segment, and in part meeting faces on the two segments in line with the abutting face of the lug; and said segments having adjacent to said abutment, their meeting rim flanges extend-ed and receded, respectively, to develop a transverse interlock in the articulation.

Signed at Elk Rapids, Michigan, this 24th day of July, 1923.

CHARLES E. CARVER. 

